On 13th of March Association “Sustainability of progressive and open communication” held an Open Day for the “Hidden Likes” youth house in Bulgaria.
The event began with a brief introduction of the activities, provided in the “Hidden Likes” house, as well as thespace in which they are being conducted, and most importantly, the benefits for the young NEETs that are included in the program.
The idea for conducting the Open day came with the purpose of reducing the stigma in the context of mental health, as well as people’s anxieties, especially the young NEETs. During the event a discussion was made, led by the experts for the project. Prior to the Open day one of the psychology experts made a poll on social media, asking the participants what topics and themes are of interest to them and what would they like to know about the activities of the “Hidden Likes” house.
During the meeting, organized in its second part as a workshop, the experts addressed all of these questions and answered additional ones, concerning ways to preserve mental health and how not to be afraid, asked by the participants, creating an interesting back-and-forth discussion. The answers were detailed and informative, giving the audience the opportunity to not only familiarize themselves with topics of interest to them, but also to find answers to various other questions that trouble them.
As a result of the event and the discussed possibilities for the support that the “Hidden Likes” youth house offers to our NEETs, we had the great opportunity to meet with like-minded people, parents to support their children in joining the program and to find new volunteers and institutions with which we could cooperate in referring young people to us.
In conclusion, the narrative of the event held a positive tone easing the participants that even in these very difficult times there are ways to deal with stress and anxiety. It took the form of a lively conversation, which aimed to inform, address uncertainties and reassure that even the darkest of times are bound to be over eventually.
